Pusher and merchandise display system

ABSTRACT

A pusher and system for dispensing articles includes a display cell having a back wall, a pair of opposing sidewalls and an open front. The pusher includes first and second members, each featuring a leading edge and a trailing edge and at least one hinge portion. The first and second members are joined by pivot axes. The leading edges feature pushing flaps to cooperatively engage a rearmost article positioned in the cell while the trailing edges cooperatively engage the back wall of the cell. Tensioning elements urges the hinge portions of the pusher towards one another so that articles are pushed towards the open front of the cell. A pair of centering flaps are joined one each to the trailing edges of the pusher and cooperatively engage the opposing sidewalls of the cell to assist in centering the pusher within the cell.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to merchandise display devicesand systems and, more particularly, to a pusher for a merchandisedisplay and an associated merchandise display system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Packaged merchandise such as computer software, DVD's, CD's, playingcards, cigarettes and other goods are often dispensed in a retail storefrom a shelving unit or display that holds a large number of thearticles. The shelving unit or display may be divided into separatecompartments or cells with each compartment or cell holding a row of thearticles. With such an arrangement, the front-most article is visibleand may be removed from the display. As each article is withdrawn fromthe display, however, the remaining articles appear further back in thedisplay cell lessening the effectiveness of the display and making itmore difficult for the customer to view, select and retrieve the desiredarticle.

To remedy this situation, merchandise pusher devices have been devisedin the prior art to automatically push the row of articles forward sothat when the front-most article is removed, the next article in line ispushed forward to occupy the front-most position of the display cell.Such pusher devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,093 to Fieldand U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,552 to Thalenfeld et al. Both of these devices,and various other devices in the prior art featuring similarconstructions, employ spring mechanisms to urge the row of articlestowards the front of the display. The use of such spring mechanisms,however, increases the production costs of such pusher devices due tothe associated higher component and material costs and complexity ofassembly. A need exits for a pusher device that is economical and simpleto manufacture, easy to use (for both consumers and retailers) andreliable. A need also exists for a merchandise display systemincorporating such a pusher.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the pusher of thepresent invention in an extended configuration and a front portion of adisplay cell;

FIG. 2 is top plan view of a sheet of corrugated fiberboard as cut toform the first and second members of the pusher of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the first member of FIGS. 1 and 2folded for assembly;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged top plan view of the second member of FIGS. 1 and2 folded for assembly;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of an elastic loop of the pusherof FIG. 1;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are bottom plan and end elevation views, respectively,of the connector of the elastic loop of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the pusher of FIG. 1 in the extendedconfiguration and a cross sectional view of the display cell of FIG. 1taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 1 with the pusher positioned inside;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the pusher and display cell of FIGS. 1 and7 with merchandise articles positioned in the display cell and thepusher in a retracted configuration;

FIG. 9 is perspective view of a second embodiment of the pusher of thepresent invention in an extended configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

A first embodiment of the pusher of the present invention is indicatedin general at 10 in FIG. 1. The pusher is constructed from three maincomponents: a first member, indicated in general at 12, a second member,indicated in general at 14, and elastic loops 16 a and 16 b, which, asexplained below, serve as tensioning elements.

First and second members 12 and 14 preferably are constructed fromcorrugated fiberboard. While corrugated fiberboard is illustrated anddescribed below, the members of the pusher could be constructed from anumber of alternative materials such as cardboard, plastic (with thefold lines and slots described below molded into each member), wood(using cut slots and attached hinges) and other materials known in theart. In addition, while the first and second members are illustrated anddescribed as each being a single piece, each component may beconstructed from multiple pieces or panels.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the two members preferably are cut from asingle sheet of corrugated fiberboard. More specifically, the sheet ofcorrugated fiberboard, indicated in general at 18, is slit down thecenter, as indicated by line 22, to divide the sheet into two equalhalves, with one half being used to form first member 12, while theother half is used to form second member 14. The sheet is also slitscored or perforated along fold lines 24, 26 and 28. First member 12includes a pair of generally V-shaped slots 32 and 34 formed in oppositeedges. In addition, pivot slits 36 and 38 are cut into first member 12.A pair of V-shaped slots 42 and 44 are similarly formed in the sheet forsecond member 14, as are pivot slits 46 and 48.

Fold line 24 divides first member 12 into pushing flap 52 and forwardpanel 54 and second member 14 into pushing flap 56 and forward panel 58.Fold line 26 separates the forward panels 54 and 58 from the rearwardpanels 62 and 64 of the first and second members, respectively. Foldline 28 separates rearward panels 62 and 64 from centering flaps 66 and68 of the first and second members, respectively.

After the corrugated fiberboard sheet 18 of FIG. 2 is cut as illustratedin FIG. 2 and described above, the pusher is assembled by folding thefirst and second members as indicated by the top views of FIGS. 3 and 4,respectively. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the pivot slits 36 and 38 offirst member 12 face upwards. In contrast, the pivot slits 46 and 48(FIG. 2) of second member 14 face downwards. The second member is thenoriented over the first member with the pivot slit 46 (FIG. 2) of thesecond member aligned with the pivot slit 36 of the first member. Thepivot slit 48 of the second member is also aligned with the pivot slit38 of the first member. The second member is then lowered onto the firstmember so that the aligned pivot slits engage, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

An enlarged view of elastic loop 16 a is provided in FIG. 5. The elasticloop, which serves as a tensioning element, includes a cord portion,indicated at 72, and a connector portion, indicated at 75. The cord 72is preferable braded cord, but any elastic material may be used.Connector 74 secures the ends of the cord 72 together so that the loopis formed. Connector 74 is preferably constructed of metal and, asillustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B, features gap 76 and teeth 78 so that itmay be crimped in place on cord 72 (FIG. 5). Several alternatives knownin the art may be substituted as a tensioning element for elastic loop16 a, including, but not limited to, a rubber band or any other loop orcord (having a fastener on each end that engages the first and/or secondmember) having an elastic capability.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, elastic loop 16 a is received within thegenerally V-shaped slot 32 of first member 12. In addition, though notvisible in FIG. 1, elastic loop 16 a is also received within generallyV-shaped slot 44 of second member 14. Elastic loop 16 b is similarlyreceived within generally V-shaped slot 42 of second member 14 andgenerally V-shaped slot 34 of first member 12.

As illustrated by arrow 82 in FIG. 1, pusher 10 is adapted for used in adisplay cell, such as the one indicated in general at 84. As illustratedin FIGS. 1 and 7, the display cell includes a top wall 86, sidewalls 92and 94, a back wall 96 and an open front 98. The display cell may alsoinclude a raised floor 102 (FIG. 1) having a front portion 104 uponwhich information may be printed or otherwise placed. As illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 7, the raised floor 102 is also provided with a stop 106. Asan example only, the display cell may be constructed of corrugatedcorrugated fiberboard appropriately folded and glued to form thebox-like structure of the display cell. The stop 106 may be constructedof plastic and positioned within a slot formed in raised floor 102.Alternative materials may be used to construct the display cell 84 andstop 106.

In addition, it is to be understood that while a single display cell isillustrated in the figures and described below, the pusher andmerchandising display system of the invention could include multipledisplay cells and pushers with the display cells stacked or otherwiseformed as a multi-cell display. In addition, the display cell couldfeature an open top in addition to the open front. In addition to beingpart of a free-standing display, the display cell could also beintegrated into a shelving system.

A top view of the assembled pusher positioned within the interior of thedisplay cell is provided in FIG. 7. The pusher is in an extractedconfiguration because no merchandise articles are positioned within thedisplay cell interior. The assembled pusher features a first pivot axis110 and a second pivot axis 112 at the junctions of the first and secondmember 12 and 14. In addition, first member 12 includes a hinge portion114 while second member includes an opposing hinge portion 116. A firstmember angle 120 is defined between the forward and rearward panels 54and 62 of the first member, as connected by hinge portion 115. A secondmember angle 122 is similarly defined between the forward and rearwardpanels 58 and 64 of the first member, as connected by hinge portion 115.Elastic loops 16 a and 16 b urge hinge portions 114 and 116 towards oneanother so that the pusher is urged towards the extended configurationillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7 and the acuteness of the first and secondmember angles 120 and 122 decreases.

As described previously, the pusher features a pair of centering flaps66 and 68. The centering flaps feature distal edges 124 and 126 thatcontact the sidewalls 92 and 94 of display cell 84. As a result, whenthe display cell is completely empty of merchandise articles, and thereis no pressure applied to the pusher, the centering flaps keep theassociated end of the pusher generally centered within the cell. As aresult, side-to-side “float” of the pusher within the product cell isreduced or eliminated so that the pusher does not have to be manuallycentered in the cell for loading or reloading. This facilitates stockingand restocking of the display cell.

Centering flaps 66 and 68 also feature proximate ends that are attachedto the trailing edges of rearward panels 62 and 64, respectively, so asto form contact edges 128 and 130 that contact the back wall 96 of thedisplay cell, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8.

As described previously and illustrated in FIG. 7, the pusher alsofeatures a pair of pushing flaps 52 and 56 that are joined to theleading edges of forward panels 54 and 58 of first member 12 and secondmember 14, respectively. A merchandise article, such as packagedcomputer software, a DVD package, a CD package, etc., inserted throughthe open front 98 of the display cell engages pusher flaps 52 and 54. Asadditional merchandise articles are inserted into the display cellthrough the open front, as illustrated in phantom at 132 a-132 d in FIG.8, the pusher moves towards the retracted configuration illustrated inFIG. 8. The elastic action of the elastic loops 16 a and 16 b of thepusher urges the front-most merchandise article towards the open front98 of the display cell where it engages stop 106 (see also FIG. 1).

As the additional merchandise articles are added through the open front98 of the display cell, and the pusher retracts, the contact edges 128and 130 move in the direction of arrows 134 and 136 (FIG. 7),respectively, along the back wall 96 of the display cell. In addition,the distal ends 124 and 126 of the centering flaps move in the directionof arrows 142 and 144 (FIG. 7), respectively, along the side walls 92and 94 of the display cell. As a result, the pusher stays generallycentered within the display cell as it retracts.

Conversely, as merchandise articles 132 a-132 d (FIG. 8) are removedfrom the interior of the display cell, the pusher moves towards theextended configuration illustrated in FIG. 7. As this occurs, withreference to FIG. 8, the distal ends of the contact edges 128 and 130move in the direction of arrows 146 and 148, respectively, along theback wall 96 of the display cell. In addition, the distal ends 124 and126 of the centering flaps move in the direction of arrows 152 and 154,respectively, along the side walls 92 and 94 of the display cell. As aresult, the pusher stays generally centered within the display cell asthe pusher extends. The elastic action of the elastic loops 16 a and 16b of the pusher urges the merchandise articles toward the front of thedisplay as each front-most article of the display cell is removedthrough the open front 98 of the display cell.

A second embodiment of the pusher of the present invention is indicatedin general at 210 in FIG. 9. Similar to the first embodiment illustratedin FIG. 1, the embodiment of FIG. 9 includes a first member 212 and asecond member 214 as well as a number of elastic loops 216 a-216 f. Theembodiment of FIG. 9 is particularly useful for deep display cells whichhold a larger number of merchandise articles than shallower displaycells, such as the one illustrated in FIGS. 1-8. Such deeper displaycells do not have to be restocked or refilled as often which istypically advantageous in terms of labor savings.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, in order to accommodate the greater depth ofthe display cell, the pusher features longer first and second members, agreater number of pivot axes, indicated at 222, 224, 226 and 228, andhinge portions, indicated at 230, 232 and 234 for the first member 212,and 236, 238 and 240 for the second member 214. The pusher of FIG. 9also includes a pair of pushing flaps 242 and 244 and a pair ofcentering flaps 246 and 248. In operation, the pusher of FIG. 9 operatesin the same manner as the embodiment of FIGS. 1-8, except there are agreater number of tension elements (elastic loops) urging the pushertowards the extended configuration illustrated in FIG. 9, so thatmerchandise articles positioned in the display cell are pushed towardsan open front of the display cell as front-most merchandise articles areremoved there from.

The embodiments of FIGS. 1-8 and 9 present examples only in terms of thenumber of pivot axes and hinge portions that the pusher of the presentinvention may have. More specifically, the pusher may have more than theembodiment of FIGS. 1-8 and more or less than the embodiment of FIG. 9.Regardless of the length of the first and second members of the pusher,or the number of pivot axes and hinge portions, the centering flapsassist in keeping the associated end of the pusher generally centeredwithin the display cell for ease of restocking.

While embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, itwill be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes andmodifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

1. A pusher for dispensing articles from a display cell having a backwall, a pair of opposing sidewalls and an open front, said pushercomprising: a) a first member featuring a leading edge and a trailingedge and a hinge portion; b) a second member featuring a leading edgeand a trailing edge and a hinge portion; c) said first member joined tosaid second member at a first pivot axis between the leading edges andthe first and second hinge portions and at a second pivot axis betweenthe trailing edges and the hinge portions; d) the leading edges adaptedto cooperatively engage a rearmost article positioned in the cell; e)the trailing edges adapted to cooperatively engage the back wall of thecell; f) a tensioning element urging the hinge portions towards oneanother so that the back wall of the cell is engaged by the trailingedges and the rearmost article is engaged by the leading edges andpushed towards the open front of the cell; and g) a pair of centeringflaps joined one each to the trailing edges, said centering flapscooperatively engaging the opposing sidewalls of the cell to assist incentering the pusher within the cell.
 2. The pusher of claim 1 whereinthe first and second members each includes an additional hinge portionand said first and second members are also joined at a third pivot axisbetween the additional hinge portions and the trailing edges.
 3. Thepusher of claim 2 wherein the first and second members each includesanother additional hinge portion and said first and second members arealso joined at a fourth pivot axis between the another additional hingeportions and the trailing edges.
 4. The pusher of claim 1 wherein thefirst and second members are each constructed from a single piece. 5.The pusher of claim 4 wherein the first and second members are eachconstructed of corrugated fiberboard.
 6. The pusher of claim 5 whereinthe first and second member are cut from a single sheet of corrugatedfiberboard.
 7. The pusher of claim 1 wherein the first and secondmembers include slots formed at the hinge portions that receive thetensioning element.
 8. The pusher of claim 7 wherein the slots includegenerally V-shaped slots.
 9. The pusher of claim 8 wherein thetensioning element is an elastic loop.
 10. The pusher of claim 1 whereinthe first and second members each include pivot slits that engage oneanother at the pivot axes.
 11. The pusher of claim 1 further comprisinga pair of pushing flaps attached to the leading edges.
 12. A merchandisedisplay system for dispensing articles comprising: a) a display cellhaving a back wall, a pair of opposing side walls and an open front; andb) a pusher including: i. a first member featuring a leading edge and atrailing edge and a hinge portion; ii. a second member featuring aleading edge and a trailing edge and a hinge portion; iii. said firstmember joined to said second member at a first pivot axis between theleading edges and the first and second hinge portions iv. and at asecond pivot axis between the trailing edges and the hinge portions; v.the leading edges adapted to cooperatively engage a rearmost articlepositioned in the cell; vi. the trailing edges adapted to cooperativelyengage the back wall of the cell; vii. a tensioning element urging thehinge portions towards one another so that the back wall of the cell isengaged by the trailing edges and the rearmost article is engaged by theleading edges and pushed towards the open front of the cell; viii. apair of centering flaps joined one each to the trailing edges, saidcentering flaps cooperatively engaging the opposing sidewalls of thecell to assist in centering the pusher within the cell.
 13. The systemof claim 12 wherein the first and second members of the pusher eachincludes an additional hinge portion and said first and second membersare also joined at a third pivot axis between the additional hingeportions and the trailing edges.
 14. The system of claim 13 wherein thefirst and second members of the pusher each includes another additionalhinge portion and said first and second members are also joined at afourth pivot axis between the another additional hinge portions and thetrailing edges.
 15. The system of claim 12 wherein the first and secondmembers of the pusher are each constructed from a single piece.
 16. Thesystem of claim 15 wherein the first and second members of the pusherare each constructed of corrugated fiberboard.
 17. The system of claim12 wherein the first and second members of the pusher include generallyV-shaped slots formed at the hinge portions and the tensioning elementincludes an elastic loop that is received by the V-shaped slots.
 18. Thesystem of claim 12 wherein the pusher further comprises a pair ofpushing flaps attached to the leading edges.
 19. The system of claim 12wherein the display cell is constructed from corrugated fiberboard. 20.A device for pushing articles in a display cell having a back wall, anopposing pair of side walls and an open front, the device comprising: a)a first member featuring a rear panel and a forward panel, said rearpanel including a leading edge and a trailing edge and said forwardpanel including a leading edge and a trailing edge, said trailing edgeof the forward panel joined to the leading edge of the rear panel in ahinged fashion so that a first member angle is defined between theforward and rear panels of the first member; b) a second memberfeaturing a rear panel and a forward panel, said rear panel including aleading edge and a trailing edge and said forward panel including aleading edge and a trailing edge, said trailing edge of the forwardpanel joined to the leading edge of the rear panel in a hinged fashionso that a second member angle is defined between the forward and rearpanels of the second member; c) said forward panel of the first memberjoined to the forward panel of the second member in a hinged fashion; d)said rear panel of the first member joined to the rear panel of thesecond member in a hinged fashion; e) the leading edges of the forwardpanels of said first and second members adapted to cooperatively engagea rearmost article positioned in the cell; f) the trailing edges of therear panels of said first and second members adapted to cooperativelyengage the back wall of the cell; g) a tensioning element urgingportions of the first and second members together so that the acutenessof the first member and second member angles increase and so that therearmost article engaged by the forward panels of the first and secondmembers is pushed towards the open front of the cell; and h) a firstcentering flap joined to the trailing edge of the rear panel of thefirst member and a second centering flap joined to the trailing edge ofthe rear panel of the second member, said first and second centeringflaps cooperatively engaging the opposing sidewalls of the cell toassist in centering the pusher within the cell.